Happy, Happy Birthday

My blog has turned ONE!

Happy, Happy Birthday to my blog, what a year.

It has been a year of discovery, joy, ups and downs, hard times, sad times, happy times and most of all writing times.  Thank you for following.

The Race

Tags

Poem, The Race

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”

But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten…
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy — no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

Source: 

Joy

Tags

Joy, Julia Cameron

There is a trend of late, Julia Cameron is very inspiring and wise,

We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment– the only moment there is for us to be alive. Every breathe we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity. We need only to be awake; alive in the present moment. -Thich Nhat Hanh

I welcome joy as my spiritual companion.

I invite joy to bless my life. I welcome joy to my heart. Asceticism, hardship, grandiosity– these are enemies, not the handmaidens of spiritual growth. Gentleness, opening attention– these are the gardening tools which best encourage growth. In every moment I can choose between will and willingness, between determination and fructification. As I allow myself to be rendered gently fruitful, I become fluid from moment to moment. The harshness of my experience slips away. Spirituality requires vulnerability and openness. As I still myself rather than steel myself, I hear evermore clearly the quiet promptings of inner growth. As I follow the lead which joy sets in my life, I am gently, safely and surely led.

Source – Julia Cameron

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Beet the cake

Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about what is in your food? Think back to when your grandma would bake cakes, scones and muffins with no effort at all.  The memories are filled with happiness and excellent tasting food.

But … what was actually in the baking?

Beetroots, courgettes, carrots, bananas and apples to name a few have been added to baking recipes for centuries - without anyone knowing about it! How sneaky were our grandmas – well I would call them genius actually.

Mums out there, this is a great way of disguising fruit and veges and making your children eat them – without them knowing it!

Check out this video

Live what you …….

LOVE

Chalkboard artist = breath-taking

A books life

Ever wondered what went on in a library or bookstore after 5?

Check out this awesome video which promotes real books rather than books on the new e-readers.

 

I love to touch books, smell books and read books.  Real books!

Autobio in 5 chapters

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost …. I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit … but, my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter Five
I walk down another street.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters, by Portia Nelson

Sloooooooooowww down …

Have you ever wondered what life would be like in slow motion?

Rushing around from A to B through to Z on a daily basis sure becomes tiring after a while.

Slow down – stop, smell the roses and enjoy life!

Check out this amazingly slooowww video, 1,000 frames per second slow!

It is gorgeous.  It has such elegance and bliss to it. Refreshing.

Conscious Optimism

Fortunately, psychoanalysis is not the only way to resolve inner conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist. -Karen Horney

In daily life, there is an inner transition I can consciously practice. This is the transition from fear to faith. Faced with ambiguity and uncertainty, I can choose to believe things will work out for the best. The lost job will yield me a new and better one. The difficult friendship set aside yields room for new friends to enter. The novel direction taken by my current thought will prove fruitful, not merely eccentric. All is working toward the good. Rather than indulge in worry and second-guessing, I can elect to believe there is wisdom in the unfolding of events exactly as they are. For many, the decision to switch from fear to faith is a decision to switch from pessimism to optimism. As we choose to be open-minded and optimistic about our lives, we are graced with an alert attention to our unfolding good.

I am a witness to my own miraculous growth. Today, I choose conscious optimism. My life is God’s field planted with the seeds of my future blossoming.

Source: Julia Cameron

Ascension Winery

Tags

Ascension Winery, Matakana, Winery, fine wine

Yesterday on the spirit of the moment we visited Ascension Winery, in Matakana. It was such a beautiful day.  Here are some pics:

This winery has won so many awards for it stunning wine, and it sure stacks up – you should visit if your ever in the area.

Til next time…